The former London mayor was accused by Labour MP John Mann of being a “Nazi apologist” as he arrived at the BBC’s Westminster studios. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.
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And he told Daily Politics presenter Andrew Neil that previously Mr Mann was “screaming I was a bigot down the phone”.
He went on to say: “Go back and check what Hitler did?”
Jumping to the defense of Naz Shah, a Labor lawmaker who on Wednesday apologized for an anti-Israel post, Livingstone alleged a “well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticizes Israeli policy as anti-Semitic”.
In a Facebook post in 2014, before she became MP for Bradford West, Shah shared a graphic which showed an image of Israel’s outline superimposed onto a map of the U.S. under the headline “Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict – Relocate Israel into United States”, with the comment “problem solved”.
Speaking to BBC Radio London Ken Livingstone, who was Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, said that Ms Shah was a “deep critic of Israel and it’s policies”, but did not think she was anti-Semitic.
He told Sky News that Mr Livingstone’s comments that Hitler had supported Zionism – the establishment of a Jewish homeland – were “insane”, branded him an “anti-Semite” and said the Labour veteran had “gone totally mad”.
Livingstone has faced widespread condemnation from within his own party since the comments, with a raft of Labour MPs and the party’s mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan calling for his suspension.
Others have followed suit including the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which said he should be “expelled”.
“Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians”.
“Pending investigation, she is unable to take part in any party activity and the whip is removed”.
John Woodcock MP, a former Labour Friends of Israel chair, said: “Ken Livingstone is the chair of Labour’s worldwide policy commission – this can not go on”.
Mr Mann said the party “clearly does” have a wider problem with anti-Semitism. Livingstone was speaking to LBC radio at the time.
Nick Clegg, who was also on the programme, expressed confusion at what Livingstone had said.
Mr Livingstone is heard in one video telling the MP the allegations were “not true”, adding “check your history”.
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He said: “I never ever thought I would see the day that mainstream, well-known politicians like you would start raking over Hitler’s views in a way that people would simply not understand. People calm down again when they go back and check what you have really said”.
